Sliding gate valve having spring biased slide

ABSTRACT

A sliding gate valve for a pouring ladle comprises a bottom plate, a gate assembly connected thereto and an extensible means to operate the gate. The gate assembly includes a stationary refractory plate and a slidable refractory plate having at least two aligned openings. The slide plate is held in a metal slide and tension is maintained in the system by means of adjustable tension plates cooperating with a mounting plate at one end and the metal slide at the other.

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Stes 1151 3,685,705 Cessna [4 1 Aug. 22, 1972 [s41- SLIDING GATE VALVE HAVING 3,618,834 11/1971 Shapland et a]. ..222/504 il B SLE I [72] Inventor: James W. Cessna, 426 E. Murphy, Pnmary hammer-Robert B Reeves Connellsville, Pa. 15425 [22] Filed: March 24, 1971 [21] Appl. N0.: 127,533

[52] U.S. Cl ..222/504, 222/561 [51] Int. Cl. ..B22d 37/00 [58] Field of Search ..222/504, 559, 561, DIG. 7

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,567,082 3/1971 Tinnes ..222/561 3,352,465 11/1967 Shapland ...222/561 X Assistant Examiner-David A. Scherbel Attorney-Webb, Burden, Robinson & Webb ABSTRACT openings. The slide plate is held in a metal slide and tension is maintained in the system by means of adjustable tension plates cooperating with a mounting plate at one end and the metal slide at the other.

7 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED M1922 I972 INVENTOR.

JAMES W. CESSNA SLIDING GATE VALVE HAVING SPRING BIASED SLIDE My invention is directed to a sliding gate valve and, more particularly, to the gate assembly attached to the bottom of a molten metal pouring ladle to provide at least two openings through which molten metal can be poured.

As a result of numerous inherent problems associated with standard stopper rods and the like, there has been a constant demand for an acceptable ladle control valve mounted external to the ladle. Several complex external sliding valves have been developed as a result thereof, but their complexity of design and installation and their cost are prohibitive in many applications. In addition, positive shut-off control has remained a problem.

My apparatus is simple in construction yet provides a true control of the molten metal pouring rate. My sliding gate valve also maintains proper alignment and various slide plates can be easily inserted and interchanged. Further, each slide plate contains at least two openings, either of which can beemployed for pouring. Because the tension is evenly distributed within the assembly, positive control of pouring is achieved and it is unnecessary to throttle 'or choke down the opening during pouring. In addition, my invention can be completely installed external to the ladle and, therefore, the normal ladle cooling operation to permit men to enter therein for purposes of installing valving is eliminated.

My invention is a sliding gate valve employing a refractory slide plate having at least two alternative pouring openings which is maintained in engagement with a refractory stationary plate through adjustment means and tension plates which also provide the tracks upon which the slide plate slides.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown one preferred embodiment of my invention in which:

FIG. 1 is a frontal elevation partly in section of my sliding gate valve;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation partly in section of my sliding gate valve; and a FIG. 3 is a bottom view of my sliding gate valve.

My sliding gate valve is adaptable to any standard ladle which will normally have a refractory brick 11 interior and a steel bottom 12. Cooperating with the brick l1 interior and the steel bottom 12 is a refractory pocket block 13 having anopening l4 therethrough to exit the molten metal from the interior of the ladle 10, FIGS. 1 and 2.

Mounted to the ladle bottom 12 and surrounding the refractory pocket block 13 is bottom plate 16. The gate assembly, generally designated-15, is preassembled and mounted to the bottom plate 16, as will be described hereinafter, and withoutneed to enter the ladle 10. The gate assembly, generally designated 15, includes mounting plate 17, stationary refractory plate 18 and its retainer 21, refractory slide plate 19 and metal slide 20. The assembly also includes and is kept in assembled relationship and proper tension through tension plates and springs 40.

In particular, refractory slide plate 19 has two pouring openings 27 and 28 and is cemented into the metal slide 20 between upwardly extending flanges with the use of a fixturing jig. Slide plate 19 is also retained on the slide 20 by means of internally threaded slide retainer pins 31 extending through the slide plate 19 and threadably engaged by bolts 32 passing through slide 20. Slide 20 contains openings 29 and which are in alignment with openings 27 and 28 of the slide plate 19. In addition, the bottom surface of the slide 20 contains two spaced and parallel recessed trackways 36 which extend the length of slide 20 on opposite sides of the aligned openings 29 and 30.

The stationary refractory plate 18 is cemented into a recessed section 41 of a mounting plate 17. The mounting plate 17 has along its bottom surface two elongated slots which are spaced and parallel and which run in the same direction and parallel to the trackways 36 on the bottom of metal slide 20. The stationary plate 18 is further retained in place by retainer plate 21 which is bolted to mounting plate 17 through ring bolts 24. Retainer plate 21 permits the preassembly of the gate assembly and it surrounds and is sealed to pocket block 13 after the gate assembly 15 is connected to the bottom plate 16. The mounting plate 17 is readily centered on the bottom plate 16 through the use of the dial pins 22, and attached thereto by four mounting plate bolts 23.

The stationary plate 18 engages the bottom surface of the pocket block 13 so that opening 26 is in direct registry with opening 14 of the pocket block 13. The slide plate 19 is held in engaging relationship with the stationary plate 18 as a result of two parallel tension plates 25, FIGS. 1-3. These tension plates 25 include along their upper surface and along opposing sides thereof parallel raised tracks 33 and 34. One track 33 engages the elongated slot 35 of the mounting plate 17 and the other track 34 engages the trackway 36 in the bottom of the slide 20. The tension plate 25 is retained by adjusting means including stud bolt 37 which passes therethrough to threadably engage with mounting plate 17, spring 40 adjacent tension plate 25 and about stud bolt 37. Washer 39 is positioned adjacent spring 40 and adjusting nut 38 which engages washer 39, compresses spring 40 and forces slide 19 upward so that the proper engagement between slide plate 19 and stationary plate 18 exists. Five such adjusting means are spaced along each tension plate 25, FIG. 3.

The slide 20 is operated through dual piston cylinders 45 and 46, one of which positions the proper opening 27 or 28 of slide plate 19 in position for registry with opening 26 of stationary plate 18 and the other of which opens and shuts that particular opening. This dual cylinder arrangement is secured to the ladle 10 by means of bracket 50 extending from the ladle and having a downwardly apertured section 51 onto which clevis 48 is connected through pin 49. Shaft 47 threadably engages clevis 48 and forms the piston shaft in locating cylinder 46. Adjacent to cylinder 46, axially aligned therewith and connected thereto is cylinder 45 having piston shaft 44 operating therefrom which threadably engages clevis 48 which, in turn, is connected by pin 42 to slide 20, FIG. 1.

My sliding gate valve operates as follows. After the sliding gate assembly 15 is mounted to the bottom plate 16 on ladle bottom 12 and the ladle 10 is heated to the desired preheat temperature, the nuts 37 are tightened in an engineering sequence to the desired operating torque, for example, 60 inch pounds. No leverage is involved since the tension plate 25 is merely moved upward thereby forcing the slide plate 19 into proper engagement with the stationary plate 18 and the stationary plate 18 into proper engagement with the bottom of port block 13. Since the tension plate 25 includes the trackway 36 for slide 25, proper alignment and tension are directly controlled.

When metal is poured into the ladle, both openings of slide plate 19 are out of registry with the opening 26 of stationary plate 18. When ladle is ready to be poured, cylinder 45 is actuated and opening 27 or 28 of slide plate 19 is moved into registry with opening 26 to permit metal to flow therethrough. The pouring of the metal is controlled by opening and closing the slide plate 19 through actuation of cylinder 45. Since two pouring holes are provided in the slide plate 19, an extra pouring capability and added safety factor is present since at any point in time the second opening can be placed in position for registry with the opening 14 of the stationary plate 18 by activating the locater cylinder 46. When the second opening is in position, then the operating cylinder 45 is employed to control that opening.

After a particular amount of use in which wear has occurred between the two refractory plates, the stud nuts are further tightened to take up the slack and insure a positive pour.

Iclaim:

1. A sliding gate valve for attachment to a molten metal pouring ladle having an apertured pocket block through which the molten metal flows comprising a bottom plate connected to the ladle and surrounding the pocket block; a gate assembly including:

A. a mounting plate connected to thebottom plate and having two spaced and parallel slots along the bottom surface thereof;

B. a refractory apertured stationary plate connected to the mounting plate and adapted to engage and register with the apertured pocket block;

C. a refractory slide plate having at least two aligned openings therethrough and in sliding engagement with the stationary plate, each opening aligned to register with the stationary plate aperture;

D. a perforate metal slide having the slide plate mounted thereto and in registry therewith, said slide having two parallel recessed trackways extending along a bottom surface thereof, said trackways positioned on opposing sides of said aligned openings;

E. parallel adjustable tension plates secured to the mounting plate and aligned with said metal slide, each tension plate having two parallel raised tracks at opposing ends thereof, one of said tracks cooperating with the metal slide recessed trackway and the other cooperating with the mounting plate slot;

F. spring adjusting means cooperating with the tension plates to adjust the tension between the stationary plate and the slide plate, extensible means attached to the metal slide to position certain of the slide plate openings in registry with the aperture of the stationary plate.

2. The sliding valve of claim 1 wherein the gate assembly includes a stationary plate retainer secured to the mounting plate to retain the stationary plate and ff ifilfiiirlgsh'i e fi i wi r ein the mounting plate has a recessed section in which said stationary plate is positioned.

4. The sliding valve of claim 1 wherein the spring adjusting means includes a bolt extending through an opening in the tension plate and threadably engaging the mounting plate, a nut and washer engaging the opposite end of the bolt and a spring positioned between the washer and tension plate.

5. The sliding valve of claim 1 wherein the extensible means are piston-cylinder means attached to the ladle bottom at one end and to the metal slide at the other end.

6. The sliding valve of claim 5 wherein two axially alignedpiston-cylinder means are employed, said first piston-cylinder means positioning a particular slide plate opening for registry with the aperture of the stationary plate and the second piston-cylinder means opening and closing said particular slide plate opening.

7. In a molten metal pouring ladle having an apertured pocket block and a bottom plate therearound, the improvement comprising a gate assembly including a mounting plate adapted to connect to the bottom plate and with two spaced and parallel slots along the bottom surface thereof, a refractory apertured stationary plate connected to the mounting plate and adapted to engage and register with the apertured pocket block, a refractory slide plate having at least two aligned openings therethrough and in sliding engagement with the stationary, plate, each opening aligned to register with the stationary plate aperture, a perforate metal extensible slide having the slide plate mounted thereto and in registry therewith, said slide having two parallel recessed trackways extending along a bottom surface thereof, said trackways positioned on opposing sides of said aligned openings, parallel adjustable tension plates secured to the mounting plate and aligned with said metal slide, each tension plate having two parallel raised tracks at opposing ends thereof, one of said tracks cooperating with the metal slide recessed trackway and the other cooperating with the mounting plate slot, spring adjusting means cooperating with the tension plates to adjust the tension between the stationary plate and the slide plate. 

1. A sliding gate valve for attachment to a molten metal pouring ladle having an apertured pocket block through which the molten metal flows comprising a bottom plate connected to the ladle and surrounding the pocket block; a gate assembly including: A. a mounting plate connected to the bottom plate and having two spaced and parallel slots along the bottom surface thereof; B. a refractory apertured stationary plate connected to the mounting plate and adapted to engage and register with the apertured pocket block; C. a refractory slide plate having at least two aligned openings therethrough and in sliding engagement with the stationary plate, each opening aligned to register with the stationary plate aperture; D. a perforate metal slide having the slide plate mounted thereto and in registry therewith, said slide having two parallel recessed trackways extending along a bottom surface thereof, said trackways positioned on opposing sides of said aligned openings; E. parallel adjustable tension plates secured to the mounting plate and aligned with said metal slide, each tension plate having two parallel raised tracks at opposing ends thereof, one of said tracks cooperating with the metal slide recessed trackway and the other cooperating with the mounting plate slot; F. spring adjusting means cooperating with the tension plates to adjust the tension between the stationary plate and the slide plate, extensible means attached to the metal slide to position certain of the slide plate openings in registry with the aperture of the stationary plate.
 2. The sliding valve of claim 1 wherein the gate assembly includes a stationary plate retainer secured to the mounting plate to retain the stationary plate and the apertured pocket block in registry.
 3. The sliding valve of claim 1 wherein the mounting plate has a recessed section in which said stationary plate is positioned.
 4. The sliding valve of claim 1 wherein the spring adjusting means includes a bolt extending through an opening in the tension plate and threadably engaging the mounting plate, a nut and washer engaging the opposite end of the bolt and a spring positioned between the washer and tension plate.
 5. The sliding valve of claim 1 wherein the extensible means are piston-cylinder means attached to the ladle bottom at one end and to the metal slide at the other end.
 6. The sliding valve of claim 5 wherein two axially aligned piston-cylinder means are employed, said first piston-cylinder means positioning a particular slide plate opening for registry with the aperture of the stationary plate and the second piston-cylinder means opening and closing said particular slide plate opening.
 7. In a molten metal pouring ladle having an apertured pocket block and a bottom plate therearound, the improvement comprising a gate assembly including a mounting plate adapted to connect to the bottom plate and with two spaced and parallel slots along the bottom surface thereof, a refractory apertured stationary plate connected to the mounting plate and adapted tO engage and register with the apertured pocket block, a refractory slide plate having at least two aligned openings therethrough and in sliding engagement with the stationary plate, each opening aligned to register with the stationary plate aperture, a perforate metal extensible slide having the slide plate mounted thereto and in registry therewith, said slide having two parallel recessed trackways extending along a bottom surface thereof, said trackways positioned on opposing sides of said aligned openings, parallel adjustable tension plates secured to the mounting plate and aligned with said metal slide, each tension plate having two parallel raised tracks at opposing ends thereof, one of said tracks cooperating with the metal slide recessed trackway and the other cooperating with the mounting plate slot, spring adjusting means cooperating with the tension plates to adjust the tension between the stationary plate and the slide plate. 